World's First Vegan Certified Painkiller Launched In Europe

Paraveganio® has become the first medicinal product in the world to be registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark. 

The certified vegan drug contains 500mg of the proven active ingredient paracetamol. 

Paracetamol is one of the most popular medicinal products used for pain and fever. It was developed in the USA and Germany and due to its fast effect, is now one of the most widely used painkillers.

Paracetamol tablets usually contain the flow regulator magnesium stearate. This is a salt of stearic acid and magnesium – which can be of animal origin. With Paraveganio®, by axunio, consumers are guaranteed a vegan painkiller with magnesium stearate - taken from pure vegetable origin.

Paraveganio® works just like any other pain killer - it can help fight fever as well as mild to moderate pain. The active ingredient affects the temperature control centre in the human brain, to help reduce high temperatures and fever.

Julia von Horsten, Product and Business Development Manager at axunio, said: “We couldn’t be prouder to be bringing the world’s first vegan certified drug to the market. Of course, to have it certified by The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark – the gold-standard in vegan labelling – makes it that much more special too. Many people are surprised to hear that the majority of medications, including over-the-counter products such as paracetamol, contain animal derivatives or have been tested on animals. We know there’s a gap in the market for a vegan certified paracetamol and are so delighted to be able to offer our product to consumers.”

Currently, around 75% of the most commonly prescribed medicines in the UK contain animal-derived products.

For years, The Vegan Society has called for more action to protect vegan rights when it comes to taking medicines. The campaign Make More Medicines Vegan urged the Government to start using existing animal-free alternatives to prescription products with animal-based ingredients. A further aim is to bring animal-free medicine to the attention of the society and medical professionals so that vegan patients are comprehensively advised on animal-free options by their physician.

The campaign also asked for manufacturers to improve labelling, to include ingredients of animal origin, similar to the labelling of food.

Ericka Durgahee, Marketing Manager at The Vegan Society, added: “We’re delighted to see our Vegan Trademark for the first time on a vegan medicinal product. We know that many vegans struggle to find medication that is both suitable to their needs and in-line with their beliefs, which can be distressing. However, axunio have shown just how easy it is to create a brilliant vegan-friendly product and we can only hope that other pharmaceutical companies follow suit and work to create more vegan medications.”

Paraveganio® tablets are currently only available in Germany, but axunio have plans to expand to other markets.